“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17     Some would say I’m not old. Some would say I am. Truth? My body is aging. Grey hair. Lots. Quit dying it. Wrinkles. I don’t use anti-aging creams. Eyesight. One eye sees far. One sees close. Hearing. Left ear hears better than the right. Permanent bags under my eyes. I ask people to speak up. I’m sagging. Even my memory is. Women tend to be obsessed with all this. Instead I’m obsessed with the Lord and helping people to find and follow Him.…

   “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 34:5    “…in your presence there is fullness of joy…” Psalm 16:11 I was singing, singing, and singing, glorifying God, singing aloud, praising Him, singing my own words, singing the song in my heart, putting words to my early morning joy, my joy in loving the Lord, my terrible singing voice not mattering, in my estimate anyway, though hurting my own ears, hopefully not hurting God’s because He sees my heart for Him, circling the hotel building, my hand behind my back where it was casually attached to three dog leashes with my three sweet dogs somehow managing to walk in front of me without getting tangled, such joy, such joy, when all of…

God, You’ve Given Me More than I Can Handle!     “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor. 10:13    “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2 God, you’ve given me more than I can handle! I’m so overwhelmed! This is too much for me! I can’t deal with this! I’m way overloaded! What are you thinking, God! I’m so…

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 18:8    “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” Psalm 62:5    “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD…Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” Jeremiah 17:5-7 One morning I saw a t-shirt reading, “I don’t believe in humans.” Anything goes in this day and age, doesn’t it? I tend to take things pretty seriously, and this was no exception. Some might have laughed, or not noticed, and just gone on with their lives. That wasn’t the case with me. I  noticed on the shirt what looked to…

   “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” James 2:24    “…so faith without works is dead…” James 2:26    “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1-2    “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 Are you doing enough good deeds? How else do you expect to have a relationship with God now…

   “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” Deut. 10:12-13    “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” Jer. 17:10 NKJV    “Serve the LORD with gladness…” Psalm 100:2 Your attitude is unacceptable to me. The words came. Interrupting my thoughts. The Spirit of God was speaking to my heart. I had been right in the middle…

 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 Ever consider what it takes to be used by God? One day I started reflecting on why the Lord had given me the blessing, honor, and privilege of using me like never before – in unimaginable, ever-increasing, incredibly beautiful ways. I saw seven reasons, and I believe they are common to countless people in the Bible used by God. NEW BIRTH. I am born again and Spirit filled. I have sought God’s forgiveness for my sins, placed my trust in Jesus Christ as Lord who died on the cross for me, been forgiven by God, entered into…

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46 Vending machines are for food and drinks. Most of the time we don’t even notice them, do we? Unless we’re wanting something. An iced cold drink. A delicious treat. A snack. Even a meal. Chips. Cookies. Candy. Juice. Whatever. We expect instant satisfaction. It’s very simple. We put our money in the machine. Mash on a big bright  button for whatever it is we want. Wait. Just seconds. Boom. Exactly what we desire, what we paid for, falls down to the bottom where we can slide in our hand, pick up our yummy or thirst-quenching whatever, and off we go. Unless there’s a problem. Like the machine won’t take our dollar bills. Or…

“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” Ja. 5:19-20 I had a friend once who used to challenge people with stuff. She would ask challenging questions and deliver tough messages. She didn’t hold back, in my opinion anyway. I was the recipient of some of her challenges. Like lots of others in her life. She stopped challenging people with stuff, like questions. Because she’s with the Lord now. The Lord she lived and breathed for when she was on this earth. The Lord who called her to be a bearer of truth. Of His Truth.…

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Jam. 4:2-3 “I want more favor than I’ve ever had,” I prayed to the Lord as I waited while three of my sweet dogs nosed their way around the ground during their morning bathroom break. “Not for me, but for you.” Tears. I was astounded, deeply moved, by how the Lord has changed me. “You’re spoiled,” my ex-husband told me long ago. I denied his accusation. He wasn’t just right. He understated the truth. I was beyond description spoiled – and selfish. Self-consumed. While  professing to believe…

   “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mt. 6:24    “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Mt. 6:19-21 Ever been in the process of making a decision and asked yourself this? Or already made a decision and followed through on it and later on asked yourself this? Is money your motive?…

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Mt. 18:21-22     This time I won’t forgive you. I’ve forgiven you over and over. And over. This never stops. You keep doing the same thing. Then you come to me and say I’m sorry. Or you don’t say I’m sorry at all. But the bottom line is I can’t take this anymore. I’ve forgiven you one too many times. How many times do you seriously think I’m going to forgive you? I’m done with this forgiveness business. Can you relate? Ever been so sick and tired of someone else’s…

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7 I had just finished taking paralyzed dog Miss Mercy out of her wheelchair in the hotel hallway and letting her into the hotel room when I returned to the hallway to help paralyzed dog Mr. Simeon out of his wheelchair and into the room. But Mr. Simeon, who most of the time will not go anywhere in his wheelchair without my holding the bar of his chair and leading him forward, with him following me, was gone! Missing! Not there! Now it’s hard not to smile at the thought of it. But paralyzed…

   “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph. 2:10    “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev. 4:11 I was born to do this. I am 100% certain I am now doing what God created me to do. But this isn’t about me. It’s about you. What were you born to do? What did God create you to do? Do you know? Are you doing right now in life what He created you for? Trying to figure it out? Gave up trying? Or have never even considered it? You might be surprised…

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 I was thrilled one day when the Lord opened wide a door in my ministry work. A door I had been convinced not only was shut, but that most assuredly I would never see open. I was so convinced, in fact, that though there had been opportunities in the past, and though one of those opportunities did in fact remain, I figured I shouldn’t even bother pursuing that avenue again. Why waste my time? Surely the door was closed. Mostly anyway. Enough that it wouldn’t be worth my time and care, not my prayers and perseverance. Oh, how wrong I was. “Why didn’t it happen before?” I asked the Lord after He opened a door.…

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mt. 5:16 As soon as I bent down and started to pick up some trash off the hotel lobby floor, the kind, sweet voice of a young woman behind the desk whom I had come to know while staying at the hotel called out to me. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. Emphatically. “Oh, I don’t mind,” I said happily. “No, really, you don’t have to do that,” she replied. “You shouldn’t be doing that. I was about to do that.” “So it’s one less thing for you to do,” I essentially said sometime around the time I stood up from the ground. She wasn’t finished.…

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8 My sweet senior dog Glory who has no eyes has always had a favorite dog to snuggle with. First, Winnie who had no back feet. Then, Gracie who was hit by two cars on the same day. Now, paralyzed dog Mr. Simeon. Never mind the other dogs. She is most content when cuddled up as close as possible to him. Even when she’s lying on top of his legs. No matter how cute this is, there’s a problem however. Can you relate? Mr. Simeon is paralyzed from a spinal cord injury resulting from being hit by a car; he can’t…

“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon 2:12-13 The beautiful sunshiny day I was walking my sweet dog Esther through a huge field in a gorgeous park in Virginia and came upon a big turtle smack in the middle of the field was the perfect opportunity to consider something a dear friend had mentioned shortly beforehand. Though I was encouraging her and telling her I was proud of her for taking a big step forward in her life with something…

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness…” 1 Peter 2:24 I knew a man who wore a cross. He was not a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Didn’t even believe in Him. He simply had a cross hanging from his neck. I talked to him about it briefly. I don’t remember his response exactly. Nothing remarkable. Not memorable. Something to the effect he wanted to wear it despite not believing in Christ as Lord. Just a symbol to him apparently. Of something. Cool to wear? Maybe. So he may have thought. I used to wear a cross around my neck. One day it fell down the toilet. Probably a good thing. Though…

“…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…” Mt. 5:44 This may come as a surprise. Maybe something you don’t want to hear. Or heard before and shoved away. Maybe you need the reminder. Is someone hurting you? Is there some sort of ongoing hurt in your life? Hurt like heck? Some days it’s an ache? Some days a wide open wound? Sometimes you hurt so badly you feel you can’t see around the hurt? Like the hurt’s going to swallow you alive? This message may be for you, but it’s not about you. It’s about the person hurting you. The person hurting you may be someone in need. It may be…

   “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2      “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2   “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6     There is nothing worse in the universe than being separated from God. The only way to have…

“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:9 Wow. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, from my last update and prayer request. I confess I am blown away, and humbled beyond measure, at the exceeding way in which the Lord has been working in and through me since I left virtually everything behind in April in South Carolina and hit the road full time for the Lord and ministry. The Lord has been opening so many doors so fast, to opportunities, and to people’s hearts, so magnificently, in my evangelism and  streets…

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Psalm 98:4 “Don’t miss your blessings,” I told a dear young woman enduring an unimaginably tough trial. Certainly you have had your own share of trials, perhaps now. The message is we shouldn’t miss the blessings we have from God daily no matter our challenges. Yes, in hard places, God showers us with blessings. How easily we miss them if we are not careful. Our greatest blessings are the Lord; forgiveness; a forever relationship with God when we repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, turning our lives over to God and His ways, devoting ourselves to Him and to living for Him; the Spirit of God living in and…

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Mt. 6:6 The voice came quietly. Simply. Three short words. So quietly, gently, I thought I had the perfect excuse to shove the words away. No booming voice. No emphatically loud voice. No loudspeaker. No burning bush. Though there were bushes, shrubs, and trees all around as I walked through a park with one of my sweet dogs. Turn everything off.  So quiet. Goodbye. I got rid of the words. Gone. Back to my agenda. My walk in such a gloriously beautiful place, through the woods, on the horse trail, on the other trail, on…

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:3 I knew my friend was headed for a rough week at work. Her manager would be off on vacation, the company had faced numerous changes in recent months, and the stress level surely must have been at an all-time high as endless challenges seemed to arise. When I crossed paths with her just before her challenging week would begin, I asked her how I might pray for her. Oftentimes I just pray as the Spirit of God leads me, but this time I felt compelled to ask. Her answer was swift and emphatic. “Just pray that I would continue to follow God while I’m going crazy,” she implored. Wow. What a beautiful, powerful prayer. I…

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27 One morning a friend invited me to join her in helping someone in need. She knows my heart for the Lord, and my heart for people in need. She wanted to know if I had time that day to come alongside her. A wonderful opportunity to spend time with a friend in the capacity of helping someone. The answer was obvious, in my estimate anyway. My daily schedule is usually as open as possible so I can be available to the maximum to seek, hear from,…

   “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:5-6    “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” Proverbs 4:5 Lots of us pray to God for wisdom, don’t we? We even pray a fancy prayer sometimes like, “Please God give me wisdom and discernment.” After all, we know we need to know God’s will to do God’s will. We need wisdom in order to obey. And, per the Bible, if we really love God, we will obey…

   “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34 You may think this is about an injured baby deer. It’s not. It’s not about how early one morning I found a baby deer sitting under a beautiful tree like the deer was a dog enjoying the morning quiet. Nor about how I knew something was wrong because deer don’t just sit under trees like dogs sometimes do. Nor about how I realized the deer when it saw me should have gotten up and darted away. Nor about how I cried when the deer finally got up and it became clear it had a leg dangling from its body like the rescue dog I…

 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” Romans 12:1    “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” 1 Thess. 5:11     My Dad used to run races, including marathons. He didn’t race to win. He raced to finish. Despite how athletic he was, and what a great runner he was, he was too busy in his successful medical practice to take the time to train to win the races. Bu he ran them just the same, and what…

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “You don’t have need to see why,” a beloved friend told me one night. “You just have to be faithful.” How true are these words. Some of us tend to toss around the word Lord, don’t we? We call Jesus Lord, but do we think and act as though He truly is? For the umpteenth time, I was deliberating about, and moaning about, and feeling weighed down by, something God had called me to do which I desperately, desperately didn’t want to do. Just when I thought He had finally answered my cries for relief, for change, and for deliverance from…